48 Hours
by Let-The-Wookiee-Win
Summary: Their youngest son's birthday celebration has ended with Han lying in a hospital bed. Encouraged by Jaina, Leia reminisces about a night they spent together beneath a blanket long before they were married. (I'm sure I read somewhere a Valentine's Day Challenge with Han, Leia and a blanket once. This is in no way as good as some of those, but here goes...)
1. Chapter 1

_Just so you know, I loved writing this and nothing can take that away from me! I'd wanted to write Han and Leia going forward, to their lives together through good times and bad but above all with them remaining together. However, in doing so I felt I lost some of the fun that existed between them, especially evident throughout 'The Empire Strikes Back'.  
I'm the first to say I'm not a very talented writer, so the only way I could think to redress the balance was by way of flashbacks.  
This was written about the time of Harrison's plane crash onto a golf course in 2015 but, as with all of my stories, it follows on from the last (Happy Birthday)._

xxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been a long time since Leia had been required to sit at Han's bedside.  
She'd forgotten in that time how uncomfortable the stools were, no matter how functional they may have been.  
She had also forgotten how tedious the long, slow hours felt waiting for some small sign of improvement.

Heaving a sigh, she began a visual examination of the chest hair exposed by the thin bed covering draped across Han's mid section. More fluff than thatch, much of it dappled grey now but still a source of pleasure in Leia's eyes. Dark nipples rose erect and proud with each inhale and exhale of breath.

Leia averted her eyes, ashamed at the thoughts threatening to overtake her. Taking another breath, her eyes followed the curve of his collarbone to it's juncture with his shoulder and upper arm. The muscle was still well defined, his years of heavy manual labour as well as an almost daily fight with his beloved Millennium Falcon had helped sculpt his body. She'd noticed that almost from the beginning.  
How often, she mused, had those muscles been called upon to hold her back; guide her forward; rescue her from the brink; or take his weight whilst making love to her.

She shook the thought away.  
His injuries were not life threatening, she had been assured of that. It wasn't as though they would never make love again. But, that didn't mean that one day...

His forearm was equally strong, though it too bore the signs of ageing. Dark hairs now silvery threads; the odd liver spot blemishing his flesh.  
Leia remembered with a smile the night his arms had held her beneath a blanket under orders from Mon Mothma herself via Carlist Rieekan to 'get her talking'.

Leia rolled her eyes at herself recalling just how furious she had been on learning of the deception. A light laugh escaped her lips thinking back on how they had fought, toe to toe, nose to...well...to nipple, hands on hips, hollering at one another before slamming off in opposite directions. Han to take out his frustrations on the Falcon or Chewie or both, Leia to take revenge on a portion of field ration that had been left to decay.  
The sexual tension had been almost unbearable for at least a week after that.

Returning to her observations, her eyes traced the vein that travelled from Han's wrist to ring finger. Her fingers were entwined with his, his palm warm against hers and she'd felt the steady thrum thrum thrum of the pulse in his wrist when she'd eased her hand into his.  
Long, lean fingers tapered to perfectly manicured nails. How he did that was a mystery to her. She had never seen him cut them, knew for a fact he didn't nibble or chew his nails. Yet, there they were, looking to all the world as though he had just stepped out of a beauty salon. A distinct and stark contrast to the unruliness of his hair! That, just as obviously, had not seen the inside of a decent barbers for many a decade.

In common with the rest of his well-toned body, Han's fingers were adept in a number of skills. Leia pondered how many times she had witnessed those fingers seemingly at one with the controls of the Falcon. And tried not to reflect too closely on the gratuitous pleasure they had given her over the years.

Leia's sight was drawn to the glint of gold encircling the fourth finger of Han's left hand. The Wedding Band she had placed there had dulled over the years, but she knew he'd never remove it not even to be re-polished. She knew, because she had suggested that very thing a year or so before. She lifted his hand to her cheek and closed her eyes before exhaling deeply. 

It had been a long time since Leia had been required to sit by Han's bedside and she hoped with all of her heart it was as long a time before she would be required to do so again.

"Did I just die and go to Heaven?" Han croaked.

"Han!" Leia's eyes flew open and she leapt to her feet, leaning over to kiss his lips firmly. "Lie still. I'll call the medics."

She buzzed his bedside announcer repeatedly.

"Leia..." Han started, swallowing the dry lump in his throat.

"Sshhh." She soothed with a smile and a soft kiss to his forehead. "Let the medics check you over. Then we'll talk."

A Two-One B medical droid trundled into the room and Leia made a quiet exit into the corridor.  
Breathing a sigh of relief she drew a comm link to her mouth and placed a call to Jaina to update her and another to Jacen, interrupting his pre-flight checks.  
When the Two-One B left the suite, Leia returned to her husband's side.  
Brushing his hair from his eyes, she offered him a cup of water which he drank thirstily.

"Leia..." He began again.

"You had us pretty worried there for a time." She interrupted, swivelling the stool from beneath the bed and sitting as close to him as she could. "You want some more water? They said your throat would be dry."

Han shook his head, instantly regretting it.

"They got a tube stuck up my...you know, where a guy don't much like a tube stuck!" He said, his meaning perfectly clear to her.

"I know." She said simply, taking his hand and caressing his fingers with her own whilst taking in his features.

"How long have I been in here?" He asked.

"Forty-eight standard hours." She replied.

"_Why_ am I in here?" He queried, her wry expression caused him to elaborate. "I mean, I get that things got broke. But how? What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" She asked.

Han inhaled, thinking, then grinned at her. "The beach. You were wearing way too much so I guess the kids were with us."

"Do you remember dinner? We went to the pier. You _insisted_ I eat oysters." She prompted.

"Musta felt frisky." His grin widened.

"But do you remember?" She pressed.

"No. No oysters." He told her. "Don't remember us getting the best out 'em either."

He chuckled, which brought on a bout of coughing and she again offered him water. Though he refused, she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"That's gonna go straight through me." He grumbled.

"It was Jorj's birthday. That's why we were at the beach." Leia said, replacing his cup on the bedside unit.

"J-o-r-j." Han let the word roll around his tongue.

"Our son. He was six." Leia prompted, trying to quell the momentary panic she was feeling.

"I know who Jorj is. Just trying to think why we called him that." He frowned in concentration.

"Well." Leia smiled, relieved. "That doesn't matter right now. All that matters is you getting well."

"You didn't finish telling me what happened." Han reminded her.

Her smile was soft, guarded. One he remembered all too well; one she'd worn for months after the destruction of Alderaan. When she smiled at all.

"What'd I do?" Han asked.

"You didn't do anything." She squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"I musta done _something_." He said.

"We were at the beach for Jorj's birthday." Leia said. "You remember who else was there?"

He narrowed his eyes. "You. Me. Jaina. Jacen." Their names though were more a question than answer. "And..." Han closed his eyes, rubbed a hand over his face. "That legal woman? Jarik too I think."

Leia was relieved that his memories seemed not to have been permanently impaired.

"You were taking Jarik home." Leia's eyes searched Han's for recognition. Saw something flicker then settle on his face.

"I flipped the 'speeder!" He exclaimed, then frowned again. "Why'd I flip the 'speeder?"

"It'll come back." Leia soothed, running her fingers through his hair. "You mustn't tire yourself. You need your rest."

"You're talking at me like I'm an old man!" He growled, then grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. "I like it. You gonna bed bath me too?"

"Maybe later." She smirked. "Right now, I want you to close your eyes and get some sleep."

"Party pooper!" He complained.

Leia continued to hold his hand and to caress his hair as she watched his eyelids close. The medical droid would have given him pain relief, a muscle relaxant too most likely. Both would help him fall into a comfortable sleep.

Leia remained by his side, watching his chest rise and fall with each measured breath.  
She'd been there for some time when a movement caught her eye and she lifted her head just as Winter Celchu glided into the suite.

"How is he?" Winter enquired quietly, unfurling a stool from beneath the biobed and sitting opposite Leia.

"Defying the odds." Leia whispered.

"And you, Your Highness?" Winter asked. "If you don't mind me saying, you look exhausted."

"I'm fine Winter." Leia's attention returned to her husband.

"You think it might have knocked any sense into him?" Winter arched an eyebrow.

"Doubtful." Leia smiled at her roguish husband as he grunted out a snore. "He loathes sleeping on his back."

Another snort and Winter's top lip curled. "I can understand why."

"Was there something Winter, or did you just come to insult Han?" Leia asked.

"I came to enquire after _you_, Your Highness." Winter explained. "Insulting _him_ was just a bonus."

Leia smiled at her friend's sustained verbal assault on her husband. It was a reminder of her own earlier blindness to Han's charms.

"Thank you for taking Jorj to School. Thank Tycho for me also would you?" Leia said.

"Our pleasure Your Highness." Winter reported. "There were a few tears, but the School promised to keep an eye on him."

"He was so terribly distressed yesterday." Leia sighed. "Although I'm not sure what upset him the most, his father lying unconscious or not being able to go back to the beach!"

"Perhaps he'll grow up to be a beach bum." Winter suggested, visibly biting back a further unfavourable comparison to the boy's father. "Does Han know about Jarik yet?"

A dark shadow clouded Leia's countenance.

"I thought it best for him to rest. He'll know soon enough." Leia turned a sad smile on Winter and acknowledged Jaina as she quietly entered the suite.

"How's he doing?" Jaina asked.

"Quite well apparently." Winter rose, offering her seat to Jaina. "But your mother needs to go home and get some sleep. Tell her for me would you? She's always been deaf to my suggestions."

"Your suggestions tended to guide me away from Han." Leia stated.

"Hmm. Perhaps I should have tried guiding you toward him instead!" Winter smiled wryly. "Give the old scoundrel my love when he wakes. It'll make him think his condition is far worse than it is and might encourage him to consider his actions a little more closely in future."

The three women bade farewell and Winter returned to her daily duties.

"She really doesn't like Dad does she?" Jaina asked with a chuckle.

"She cares far more than she admits. Her only regret is that our marriage couldn't be blessed by my father. Bail would have bestowed Han with a title befitting the consort of a Princess, thereby eliminating all those dissenters who considered our match to be unsuitable."

"What's it matter if you loved the guy?" Jaina queried.

"In Royal circles, it matters quite a lot actually." Leia answered.

"Is that what attracted you to Dad, his 'unsuitability'?" Jaina asked with a sly grin.

"That..." Leia returned her daughter's grin. "And he's hung like a Bantha!"

"Oh Mom!" Jaina laughed.

"How's Jagged?" Leia asked.

"First physical therapy session." Jaina replied. "It was so painful for him, I just couldn't watch."

Having been through a similar period of physical rehabilitation, Leia could easily sympathise. The searing pain had threatened to break her steely resolve not to yell profanities at the first living soul to cross her path. That first living soul invariably was Han.  
Not that he minded the profanities. He had taught her most of them.

"So tell me all the things that attracted you to Dad." Jaina pressed.

"Oh Jaina! Not again." Leia groaned.

"I like hearing you talk about you and Dad. You get this kind of dreamy look on your face, like you're really back there, reliving the moment." Jaina told her.

"There were a lot of moments!" Leia commented.

"Tell me..." Jaina considered. "Tell me something romantic."

"Your dad was never that big on romance." Leia said.

"Something nice then. A time when he did something so unexpected, that nice was the only way it could be described." Jaina pressed.

"Much of what your father did was 'unexpected'." Leia replied and looked skyward, thinking, "In fact, I guess _that_ was what first attracted me to him. He had this way of being unexpectedly brilliant. Or unexpectedly foolish, depending on your point of view."

Again she thought of the night they had shared a blanket. Even their fiery outburst afterwards seemed to bring a smile to her face.

"Whatever you're thinking about, it must fall under the category of nice." Jaina grinned at her mother's flushing cheeks.

Leia turned to observe her sleeping husband's form. He looked so peaceful. So different from how they must all have looked back then.

"All right." Leia agreed. "It went like this..."


	2. Chapter 2

It was maybe six months since the destruction of Alderaan and the ragtag band of Rebel outlaws had been forced from their hidden base on Yavin IV.  
At least one TIE fighter had been seen to escape from the Death Star and it was a sure bet that the pilot would report the base's location in short order. 

The Alliance had spent those six months hopping from one rendezvous to another. High Command were in negotiation for a permanent base, however, it would take time to set up and secure and despite being well used to diversionary tactics, even Han was getting disorientated. 

Luke was every bit as exuberant as he had ever been. The kid's enthusiasm would be infectious...if it hadn't been so damn annoying. 

Han had developed a healthy respect for General Rieekan, an Alderaanian veteran of the Galactic Empire before pledging his allegiance to the Royal House of Alderaan and subsequently the Rebel Alliance. So, he was unconcerned when he was called to one of Rieekan's briefings.  
At first at least.

"Solo." Rieekan acknowledged Han with a brief nod of his head. Han nodded back.

Rieekan signed off a set of orders and handed his datapad back to a young recruit Han suspected had yet to apply his first aftershave balm.

"What can I do for you General?" Han asked, dropping into the offered seat.

Rieekan rubbed his chin and levelled his gaze at Han. "I think you know by now the admiration I have for you Solo."

"Stop, I'll blush!" Han drawled, his characteristic grin rising from the corner of his mouth.

"You're good in a fight." Rieekan told him, making Han wonder if he was talking dog-fight or fist-fight. "And this little 'arrangement', it's working out for you okay is it?"

Rieekan was referring to the barter and exchange Han had worked out with High Command. Han would barter and High Command, usually in the shape of a certain diminutive Princess, would exchange for his services.

"Working out just fine, thank you General." Han confirmed. "So long as it remains 'informal'."

Han was referring to his refusal to formally join the Rebel Alliance, despite the pressures placed on him by that same diminutive Princess.

"Good. Good." Rieekan paused, seemed to consider dismissing Solo, then added. "Your ship needs some parts I believe."

"That ol' heap _always_ needs parts." Han scoffed of his first and one true love, his ship, the Millennium Falcon.

"What would you say if I were to tell you I know someone with a quantity of good quality Why-Tee Thirteen Hundred parts available? For the right price, naturally." Rieekan said.

"I'd ask the price, naturally." Han responded, wondering why if there was something the General wanted him to do, he didn't just come right out and say it.

"You want some caf?" Rieekan asked and rose without waiting for Han's answer. He returned with two mugs of a dark, cold liquid that was clearly not caf. Han accepted the drink, swirling the rye whiskey appreciatively.

"The Organas' were good to me Solo when I left the Empire to enter their service." Rieekan said, unexpectedly. "To outward appearances they preached pacifism so you can imagine my surprise on discovering the Viceroy's connection to the Alliance to Restore the Republic."

"Musta been a shocker." Han commented after swallowing the mouthful of whiskey he had been rolling around his mouth lovingly.

"I was in orbit around Delaya when Alderaan was destroyed." Rieekan recalled. "Lost count of how many calls I got when that thing appeared in the system. Calls for aid. Calls for evacuation."

He swirled his alcohol but made no attempt to drink, Han noted, savouring another mouthful himself.

"Figured it wasn't wise to give credence to the rumours of a 'superweapon'. Rumours I knew for a fact were true." Rieekan inhaled. "Figured it was best to treat it as a bluff. You being a gambling man must appreciate how that goes?"

"Sure." Han answered, not sure where all of this was leading.

"And being a gambling man, you must appreciate how it feels when that bluff doesn't go your way?" Rieekan asked.

"All too well." Han agreed.

"There's a couple of ways a person can go after something like that." Rieekan finally swallowed some of his liquor. "Know what I'm saying?"

"Honestly Sir? No." Han shook his head.

Carlist Rieekan emptied his mug in one swift gulp and leaned forward confidentially.

"I've got what I think is a reasonable price for those parts I was talking about." Carlist said and slid a flimsie across his desk to Han.

Solo looked at the information it contained with a query. "Co-ordinates?"

"Co-ordinates." Carlist confirmed.

"To?" Han asked.

"A rendezvous." Carlist replied.

_Another rendezvous! _Han thought.

"Once there, you wait and after forty-eight hours, you return to base." Carlist continued.

"That's it?" Han queried. "I fly to these co-ordinates, sit there for two days filing my nails, then I come back here."

"In essence. Yes." Carlist replied.

"In essence." Han repeated slowly. "So what's the catch?"

"You want a refill?" Carlist rose, pointing at Han's mug.

Han shook his head and waited for Rieekan to pour whiskey into his own mug and return to his seat.

"You'll have a passenger." Carlist told him.

_And there was the stinger! _Han thought.

"A-huh..." Solo drawled and fidgeted in his chair. "See, I don't really do passengers."

"This one you do." Rieekan insisted. "If you want those parts I promised you."

"Last time I was blackmailed with the promise of a reward..." Han trailed off as his thoughts coalesced into a distinct possibility. "No! You are not suggesting I transport Her Worship to some middle-of-nowhere rendezvous and wait while she meets up with some contact of hers. Uh-uh. No reward is worth that! No amount of parts neither!"

"Did I say anything about meeting a contact?" Carlist asked.

"Oh, so I what, wait two days while she braids her hair?" Han growled.

"The Princess braids her hair?" Carlist queried. "Solo, all you need do is fly to a rendezvous point, wait forty-eight hours and fly home. How hard can that be?"

"See, all I had to do was fly Luke and that crazy old man to Alderaan and suddenly I'm on the Empire's 'most wanted' list." Han grumbled. "As if being on Jabba's 'head on a platter' list wasn't bad enough!"

"No. You know something, you're probably right. You're not the best man for the job. Antilles would be a far better choice." Carlist sighed.

"Antilles? Wedge Antilles?" Han scoffed. "He's her damn cousin!"

"Well, you know what they say. Blood's thicker than water." Carlist suggested.

"You trying to say I'm not good enough for her?" Han snarled, irked.

"Just that, well, something as delicate as this, needs handling...delicately." Rieekan replied, his eyes watching Han over the rim of the mug he was sipping from.

"And the smart-mouth Corellian don't know delicate from diddly-squat." Han stated.

"The offer's still there if you want it." Carlist assured Han.

"If I do this and I say _if_ mind you, if I do this you'll get me the parts I need?" Han queried, narrowing his eyes.

"You can have everything he's got." Carlist agreed. "I'll even throw in fuel plus ten percent."

"Twenty." Han haggled.

"Fifteen and you've got a deal." Carlist grinned.

Han considered.  
Two days.  
Forty-eight hours.  
How hard could it be?

"Fly to these co-ordinates. I file my nails, she does that thing with her hair, two days later we fly home?" Han asked, wanting to get the facts straight in his head.

Carlist inclined his head.

"You got yourself a deal." Han agreed, shaking Rieekan's hand vigorously.

"There's just a couple of conditions." Rieekan added.

"Now, hold on a minute. You never said anything about conditions!" Han barked.

"You go alone." Rieekan told him. "The Wookiee stays here."

"What d'you think I'm gonna do, kidnap her? You ever try spending any length of time in a confined space with that woman? Trust me, two days and I'll be begging you to take her back!" Han sneered.

"And wherever she is on the ship, you make sure she has this with her." Rieekan pushed a diamond shaped disc across the desk at Han.

"A tracker?" Han picked the disc up and rotated it between his fingers, realisation dawning. His eyes turned darkly on Carlist Rieekan. "A recording device. You want me to bug her?"

"There are two ways a person can go, Solo, when everything they've ever known has gone." Carlist said solemnly. "There are concerns the Princess may be travelling an undesirable path."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Han strode across the hangar wondering just what it was Chewie had allowed Han to get himself into this time.  
The bug lay snugly in his vest pocket, though he couldn't help but spare regular glances to check it was still secure.

"Han! Hey Han! Wait up." Luke called as he trotted toward the seasoned smuggler.

_Great! That's about all I need, the voice of reason!_ Han thought, rolling his eyes but slowing his stride so Luke could catch up.

"Hey kid." Han acknowledged.

"You're going the wrong way, the briefing's in the Mess Hall." Luke told him, walking Han's route backwards.

"Not going to no briefing." Han told him.

"Not going!" Luke stepped in front of Han, halting them both with immediate effect.

"Okay. Not _invited_ then, if that makes you feel any better." Han side-stepped Luke and continued on his way.

"Oh." Luke mumbled, then louder. "Oh!"

Han stopped dead and turned to look at the younger man. "What's 'oh' supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing." Luke shrugged. "It's just that you, me and Leia, we're kind of a team now."

_Leia! Even the way the kid spoke her name was like they were joined at the hip. _Han thought.

"So?" Han pressed.

"So when Leia called me to a briefing, I kind of figured she'd have called you too. Wonder what she wants?" Luke mused, his cheeks flushing a youthful pink as he licked his lips and tried to find the answer in the floor at his feet.

_Yeah good luck cracking that one Junior. Kriff but the kid's besotted! _Han thought.

"Bet I know." Han answered.

Luke looked up expectantly.

"Bet she wants you to be on time." Han suggested.

A flustered looking Luke almost tripped over his own feet turning and racing off amid some of the mildest expletives Han had ever heard.  
His features softened as he watched Luke run and then he spared a glance around the hangar at the two or three dozen men and women repairing or maintaining the beleaguered Alliance Fleet. Every one of them, Luke included, prepared to not just put their lives on the line for their beliefs but willing to die for them too.

_Suckers! _He thought and turned on his heel to head toward his ship.

Chewie's waving arms and angry howls greeted Han well before he reached the boarding ramp.

"What?" Han demanded, waving his own arms in the air. "I got one pair the same as every other human in this cesspit!"

The Wookiee ceased his complaining and followed Han into the ship, growling and hissing all the way.

"There's nothing wrong. Just another 'little job' for the mighty General Rieekan." Han told him.

Chewie rumbled a comment.

"Now I never said that." Han insisted. "I said I _kind_ of respected him, I never said I liked the guy."

Chewie's next protracted question brought a frown to Han's face.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What do you mean, 'when do _I_ leave'?" Han asked.

Chewie replied with a series of awrools.

"Oh she did, did she?" Han growled. "And just what gives her Worshipfulness the right to come round here telling you what I may or may not have agreed to?"

Chewie's response was swift.

"Whether or not I agreed is _not_ the issue here." Han complained, calming down and scratching the back of his head. "I want you to know, this was _not_ my idea pal. I mean, I argued to keep you on board but that Rieekan can be pretty persuasive."

Chewie's snort indicated his disbelief.

"But..." Han continued with a grin. "I managed to negotiate the sweetest of deals. Bona fide Why-Tee Thirteen Hundred parts and fuel _plus_ fifteen percent." Han looked up smugly at his best friend and co-pilot. "You'd be proud of me Chewie, I talked him up from five percent and all for just two days work!"

Chewie growled out his response and the frown returned to Han's face.

"Whaddaya mean she said he'd have paid twenty..." Han thundered through the ship, following Chewie as the Wookiee went to collect his bowcaster and satchel.

Han guffawed at Chewbacca's suggestion.

"Now I know you're lying!" Han said, Chewie's angry growl and bared teeth resulted in Han holding his hands up defensively and backing away slightly. "Okay pal, you say she said you could sleep in her quarters then she said you could sleep in her quarters. Just don't blame me when she has you on your hands and knees picking your fur out of her nooks and crannies."

An image came unbidden to Han's mind, of a naked Leia being picked over by an equally naked Han, and a smirk appeared just as unbidden across Han's face.  
Two days.  
Two consenting adults.  
Granted, one was colder than ice but the other...

Han snapped out of his reverie with the sound of feet pattering up his boarding ramp.  
_Leia!  
_Had to be.  
She was the only person in this flea-bitten outfit who figured she had 'access all area' rights to enter his property without prior consent.

"Are we ready to go Captain?" Leia asked.

She was wearing some kind of combat jumpsuit attire that did absolutely nothing to enhance the curves Han knew full well she was hiding and her hair was arranged in the plaited crown she seemed to be favouring right now.  
Not that he'd noticed that much. But when a female as attracted to him as Leia obviously was started wearing her hair in a standard way, that same hair was making a statement. 

Quite what that statement was, Han hadn't exactly worked out yet. But they had two days together and nothing to do but talk the whole time.  
Unless he somehow managed to pop those pins out of her hair and defrost the ice princess at the same time... 

He let the thought hang before dismissing it.  
Even Han Solo had some limitations. Not many of them, but he did have some.

"Captain?" Leia prompted.

"Just checking Chewie's got everything." He turned to Chewbacca. "You got everything pal?"

"Uma." Chewie honked back.

"He says he'll try to keep his prying eyes outta your skimpies drawer but he hopes you'll understand if he doesn't." Han translated.

"Really?" Leia eyed Han up and down. "I thought he just said yes."

"You been teaching her Shyriiwook?" Han sneered at Chewie's laughing response. "Traitor!"

"You have yourself a good time Chewbacca." The Princess smiled up at him.

Chewbacca in turn placed a large paw lightly on her shoulder and squeezed, very, very gently.

"I hear you." She laughed and the Wookiee lumbered off to the exit.

"Just how much Shyriiwook has he taught you?" Han asked, watching Chewie descend the boarding ramp.

"Enough." Leia teased.

Han 'humffed' in annoyance.

"But, we really should be getting under way if we're to make that rendezvous on time. My fault, I know." She apologised. "I was saying goodbye to Luke."

"Oh, I'm sorry, is our departure interrupting a tender scene?" Han asked sarcastically.

Leia's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Come on, let's get going." Han said, feeling peeved for no reason that he could quite fathom. "I'll get her warmed up while you go stow your stuff in the bunkroom."

By the time Leia entered the cockpit, Han had input the co-ordinates into the navicomputer and got the ship fully prepped to leave.  
Leia slipped easily into Chewie's big chair and, after some fine adjustments to his headset, called command for clearance to leave.

"Morning Glory standing by for departure." Her voice intoned.

Han turned to stare at her. "Morning Glory? That your idea?"

"No, actually it was Wedge's." She replied, turning toward him. "It's a flower in the Corellian Sector."

"I know what it is. And it aint no flower!" He hissed, turning from her and making a mental note to thank Wedge personally for his input, whilst mumbling. "_De_flower possibly."

"Morning Glory, this is Command." A voice Han recognised as Wedge Antilles said. "You're all clear for take off. You go get your hand round that big joystick of yours and rock it on back and forth until she explodes into the sky."

"Thank you for your assistance Command, Morning Glory out." Han spoke hurriedly then snapped off the comm, aware of the intense scrutiny he was under from his female companion.

"That's not normal procedure..." She started.

"I know it isn't!" Han barked and hunched over his controls, punching the orders required to elevate the Falcon from her landing padd.

He could have been wrong, but Han thought he caught sight of Wedge Antilles, Wes Janson and a couple of the other guys from Rogue Squadron laughing and saluting him during take off. He made another mental note to thank them _all_ when he returned, perhaps over a 'friendly' game of sabacc.


	3. Chapter 3

With the Falcon following her programmed path toward the rendezvous point, Han unbuckled his restraints and suggested they make themselves more comfortable in the main hold.  
Leia found his description of the main hold's comfort level somewhat exaggerated, but agreed it was preferable to several hours of starline gazing. Something determined to cause insanity and which Leia sometimes suspected afflicted the Falcon's pilot.

"You want some caf?" Han asked her, remembering the same question coming from Rieekan. He suppressed the urge to return with Corellian whiskey, instead bringing her a mug of the freshly brewed beverage.  
With uncharacteristic clumsiness, Han stumbled at the holotable and spilled her drink over her jacket.

"Man!" He complained innocently. "I don't know how I just did that!"

"That makes two of us!" Leia frowned, holding her dripping arm away from her body.

"Here, have mine." He offered, placing the full mug in front of her. "And give me that, I'll go get you a dry one. You brought another didn't you?"

She didn't argue, he noticed.

"It's on the peg." Leia told him, holding her wet clothing at arms length.

"Where else would it be?" Han smiled, taking her jacket through to the crew quarters and swapping it for one exactly like it hung in the locker.

Han stood looking at the jacket a moment, then at the disc he had pulled from his pocket. It was at best an abuse of trust. At worst a complete invasion of privacy. Either way he stood a good chance of being separated from his genitals if she ever found out.  
He slipped the disc into an inner pocket, fingering the fabric to check if it was in any way visible.  
Reassured it was undetectable, he returned to the holotable and held her clothing up for her to slide her arms into.

"You better not have been going through my stuff!" She accused, pushing to her feet and letting him put the jacket on her.

"You seen one pair of skimpies, you seen 'em all!" He commented.

"And yet, you know I brought skimpies..." She stated, turning to arch an eyebrow at him.

"Alliance issue. Wouldn't expect you to wear anything else." He grinned.

"Are we on schedule?" She asked, changing the subject and retaking her seat.

"Will you relax!" Han sank into a chair at the engineering station already regretting his decision to take the ice princess on this joyride.

"I can't relax. This is important to me." She stated.

Han rolled his eyes and checked readouts he had no real need to check.

"Yeah. We're on schedule." He confirmed. "_Now_ will you relax?"

"I realise, Captain, the word 'important' doesn't figure very highly in your vocabulary but I will repeat, this is important to me." She snipped.

"Why?" He swung back to observe her. "What's so special about this trip?"

"I'm meeting a contact." Leia answered.

_No, you're not. You only think you are. _Han thought.

"Someone very special to me who has, I hope, something very special to give me." Leia continued, a softness radiating from her face as she stared into her mug.

She looked, well, beautiful when she let the mask fall away and Han couldn't help but admire her.

"You got a beau, Princess?" He goaded, a huge grin crawling up one side of his face.

Leia looked up at him, the mask firmly back in place.

"No." She responded. "A sister."

Han's jaw dropped open. He felt it and tried to disguise the surprise with a scoffing laugh. "Hell! And I thought they broke the mould when they made you."

"She's not my biological sister. She was adopted by my parents as a companion for me when I was young." Leia explained.

"You allergic to whisperkits?" Han laughed and rose to fetch himself a caf, returning with another suggestion. "Or pittins?"

"My aunt Tia had pittins. Four of them." Leia smiled at the memory. "I named one 'All-Terrain-Attack-Vehicle'. It had particularly sharp claws and an especially vicious, predatory nature."

"Sounds like a lover I once had." Han commented and was relieved to see Leia laugh. And then the darkness fell. The smile that had lit Leia's face was replaced by a sadness that chilled Han to the core.

"They're all gone now." She said, her voice just above a whisper. "Father. My aunts. All of them."

A silence fell between them and Han could feel the weight of guilt rest heavily upon the girl's shoulders.

_This isn't right. _He thought. _Nobody should feel guilt like that. And certainly not a damn kid!_

"So." Han cleared his throat. "This sister. She wasn't on Alderaan when..."

_When what? When it went kaboom? Damnit Solo think before you open your stupid mouth why don't ya!_ He chastised himself.

"No." Leia looked back up at him with a dewiness to her eyes. "She was on...on an errand when Alderaan was destroyed."

The hitch in her voice was clear and Han's heart went out to her.

"She doesn't know." Leia grimaced. "I have to tell her."

"About Alderaan?" Han asked, puzzled. Could there really be a living being _anywhere_ that hadn't heard about Alderaan's fate?

Leia shook her head sadly. "That I was there. That I watched it all."

They were quiet again. Not that comfortable quiet that can fall between two people, it was the kind that screams of questions waiting to be asked. And answers desperate to be given.

"You..you.._watched_..." Han stammered.

Her half-lidded eyes were on the floor again, once again not in remembrance but in shame. "I was made to watch. Governor Tarkin gave me a chance to save them by betraying the Alliance. I told him our base was on Dantooine. Which was a lie, Dantooine was just an old, abandoned outpost. I thought by the time scout ships were able to get there, they'd assume the rebels had simply uprooted again and moved on. I gave him what he wanted and he took all that I had away anyway."

Han moved from the engineering station to sit beside her. "That wasn't your fault. You know that, right?"

"Wasn't it?" She turned her face up to his.

Her eyes no longer dewy with anger or regret. All he could see in their dark swirl was a deadness that froze his already icy soul.

"Aw, honey, use your head." He told her. "The Empire aint that stupid. As far back as when _I_ was in the Imperial Navy they had Alderaan on their radar. You being on the Death Star, being caught, it was just wrong place, wrong time."

_Or right place, right time, from a certain point of view._ His thoughts reasoned.

"If you'd escaped their trap you most likely would've been on Alderaan along with the droids and the plans and then where'd the Rebellion be?" He consoled her. "I'll tell you where it'd be. It'd be where Alderaan is now. Together with any star system that dared even whisper descent against the Empire."

"I should've done more." She protested.

"Like what?" He countered.

"Just...more." She insisted, lowering her eyes to search empty space for answers.

One long finger lifted her chin until their eyes met.

"There is _nothing_ you could have done to save them." He said forcefully. "Alderaan's death warrant was signed by Bail Organa the day he signed up to show passive resistance."

"You will _not_ impugn his name!" She spat, a deep frown creasing her brow. "My father worked tirelessly to bring an end to the tyranny and oppression presented by the Empire!"

"And he did a great job." Han agreed. "Alderaan was a beautiful, peaceful, idyllic place to live. Exactly the kind of place the Empire abhors."

Leia heard his words, knew the truth that was behind them and twisted away from him.

"My caf's gone cold. You want a top up?" She asked, picking up her mug.

Han declined and watched her refill her mug from the distiller.

"By the way." She added, retaking her seat. "I'd be grateful if you didn't mention our conversation back at the base."

She saw his head snap toward her from the corner of her eye.

"Any particular reason?" He asked, hesitantly.

"High Command have read my report, obviously. They know I was on the Death Star but they aren't aware just how closely I observed Alderaan's demise." She answered. "I don't think they'd understand. It would just be an unnecessary concern for them."

She sipped her caf, waiting for his assurance.

"They won't hear a word from me." He confirmed, swallowing back the remorse he felt over the voice-activated recording device he had hidden in her pocket. "I'm just gonna go check everything's okay up front."

There was no real need to retreat to the pilot's chair Han knew, even as he slid into it's familiar comfort. The information he sought was readily available at the engineering station in the main hold but here in the cockpit, Han could silently berate himself for his incompetence.

What was he thinking when he agreed to this mission!  
The Falcon, his beloved Falcon, needed parts yes. But at what cost? His pride? His sense of worth? His self-respect?  
Not to mention Leia's?

Castration aside, she was likely to be in a pretty pissy mood with him when she found out. Which she would, he was in no doubt about that.

"Everything okay?" Leia's voice drifted softly over his shoulder.

"Just making a minor course correction." Han replied. "Getting us into optimal position for our next jump."

"You sure that's all?" Leia was behind his chair now. He could feel her eyes on the back of his head, could smell the scent of her perfume, see her small body mass reflected in the forward viewscreen. "Only usually you'd just say yes."

"I'm in a giving mood." He told her, watching his console for the pin-prick of light representing the Falcon to reach the exact co-ordinates necessary to send them on the next part of their journey and then he punched it. The order he would ordinarily give to Chewie. Except Chewie's chair was vacant this trip.

_No witnesses. _Han thought. _No one to remind you how wrong this is._

"Missing him?" Leia queried, filling the quiet even if her body failed to fill Chewbacca's chair.

Han refocused on her sitting in his place.

"Chewie, are you missing him?" Leia repeated.

"The Falcon flies better with two. Not that I'm not more than capable of flying her on my own. It's just...she flies better with two." He said.

"I'm not entirely clueless when it comes to flying a starship you know." She said, her pursed lips hiding her amusement.

"What I mean is, why was Chewie asked to stay behind?" He questioned.

"You'd need to ask General Rieekan." She suggested.

"I'm asking you." He said.

Leia scanned the starlines, then twisted Chewie's chair toward Han.

"It's not a trust issue." She stated.

"Then why?" He demanded.

"My contact." She sighed. "She's not just my sister. She's also an Alliance operative who works deep undercover. Every exposure risks not just her own life but the lives of countless covert agents working to protect her and other operatives just like her."

"So it _is_ a trust issue." He concluded.

"Not in the way you're thinking."' She shook her head.

"Then in what way?" He pressed.

He could see the struggle on her face. The desire to trust. The fear of that trust being misplaced.

_If only you knew! _He thought, wearing his best sabacc face.

"She's already taking a huge risk and for no good reason at all." Leia explained.

Han folded his arms across his chest and crossed one ankle over the other, unimpressed.

"Han, some of these missions take weeks if not months to put together." Leia continued. "To break cover endangers dozens of lives..."

"Spare me the inspirational speech. It's not like I haven't heard it all before." He growled.

"All I can say is that the fewer people who know where Targeter is, the safer she and her fellow agents will be." Leia said.

"So it _is_ a trust issue." He repeated. "And if it _is_ so dangerous for this 'Targeter' to break cover, how come she's doing so now?"

"I told you. She has something for me." Leia reminded him.

"Yes." Han said, sounding like someone talking to a troublesome child. "But why _now_?"

There was that look again. The one that told of an internal struggle he could never hope to understand.

"Because..." Leia started, paused, swallowed then resumed. "Because tomorrow I would have been celebrating my birthday."

"Would have been?" Han looked puzzled. "What, you don't celebrate just because..."

_Because what? Because your home world and all your family got blown to smithereens? _Han felt his stomach flip at his further faux pas.

"I'm sorry." He apologised, genuine regret filling every word. "I'm not _trying_ to be deliberately hurtful."

"I know." She said softly, a gentle smile lighting her face. "To be honest, it's kind of nice being able to talk about it. Most people cringe at the mention of Alderaan. I see them thinking of ways to escape lest the Last Princess of Alderaan finally loses that incredible resolve of hers and goes and does something stupid, like cry. In pubic. Whatever next!"

"So...'would have'?" He asked.

"Many cultures celebrate specific milestones, on Alderaan it was decades. Tenth, twentieth, thirtieth...you get the idea." She said.

"And tomorrow, on Alderaan you _would_ _have_ been twenty." He nodded. "It was Luke's yesterday. You're practically twins."

"Targeter has something of Father's. Something she knew he would have wanted me to have." Leia explained. "I haven't seen her since..."

Suddenly the ship shuddered and the cockpit was plunged into darkness.

"What the..." Han swung back to his controls, furiously punching at anything previously lit but was now dark.

"What is it? What's happened?" Leia yelled over the screaming of alarms.

"Buckle up sweetheart, I'm gonna have to pull her back into real space!" Han cursed as he forced his safety harness over his arms.

As the starlines faded and stars returned to normal, Han released a sigh of relief. "Well, at least we haven't been interdicted."

"Then what happened?" Leia asked, the wailing alarms silenced by Han's fist slamming into a control panel.

"No idea." He said. "But this baby better have a damn good explanation!"

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Han spent the next two hours thumping and shouting at just about every system the ship had to offer before finally scratching his head and announcing.

"She's tired." He said and fell back into the pilot's seat.

"She's what?"' Leia asked incredulously.

"Tired. She gets like this sometimes. Just needs a little while to cool off, then we'll be on our way." He replied.

"And in the meantime we just sit here? Hoping a passing Imperial doesn't spot us?" She queried.

"This isn't an Imperial lane. We're safe from those guys." He reassured her, another worry creasing his brow. "We do, however, need to keep a sharp eye out for pirates."

"Pirates!" She exclaimed, then looked at him smugly. "Aren't they like your kith and kin?"

"I'm a smuggler sweetheart. Whole different species." He puzzled over a blinking light, then turned his own smug smile on her. "I got an idea!"

"Does this idea get us moving before I end up being sold to the highest bidder and you...I don't know what pirates would do with you!"' She said sarcastically.

"Oh don't you worry your pretty royal head about me, I'd be able to talk my way out." He said, rising but bending down to her ear to tease her further. "And they wouldn't sell you. Not right away at least. They'd all want to have a _real_ good time with you first, if you get my meaning."

He winked at her horrified expression, calling as he went. "Don't forget to set the intruder alarms if you're coming to give me a hand."

Leia hurriedly set the alarms before following Han to the aft cargo bay.

"This is your idea?" She asked. "Hiding?"

Han had the cover off what Leia believed to be a smuggling compartment and grinned at her as he dropped into the hole below. His head popped out, along with a crate of tools.

"Non-essentials are under here." He explained. "You know, 'fresher flush...environmental...galley controls."

"Only you would consider 'environmental' to be non-essential!" She noted and sat on the edge of the compartment, feet dangling inside.

"Pass me the hydro-spanner would you sweetheart?" He called and held a hand up.

Leia searched the array of items in the crate and placed what he wanted in his hand. It disappeared into the hole to join the rest of his body.

"Son of a..." She heard amid the clanging and banging then the hand reappeared and he said. "The little one."

Leia swapped the tools and strained to make out his shape in the darkness below. How he could see anything mystified her.

"How come you know Shyriiwook so well?" She asked.

"It's a useful language to know." His head popped back out of the darkness. "Specially if your co-pilot's a Wookiee."

He delved into the crate, pulled out another tool and disappeared again.

"Okay. So, how come you have a Wookiee for a co-pilot?" She pressed, rolling her eyes.

"Perhaps that question should be..." She heard him curse again as he struggled. "Why don't everybody?"

"You don't give much of yourself, do you Solo?" She part asked, part stated.

"Depends..." His head reappeared and he grinned at her suggestively. "How much of me do you want?"

"High Command think you're a liability." She said.

"Well that's a relief. Wouldn't want them thinking I put my life on the line rescuing princesses from Death Stars for my health." He sank back into the pit annoyed with himself for once again reminding her of her past. "Then again...they trusted me to get you to your rendezvous on time. So I guess I'm not right at the top of their 'most likely to get kicked out' list. Damnit! Come on you Son of..."

His last word was lost behind a loud bang.

"There. That does it." He clambered out and sat on the edge of the pit beside Leia. "What were we talking about?"

"You were telling me about Chewie." She reminded him.

"Nothing much to tell." He shrugged. "Certainly nothing more than you've already read in my file. You _did_ read my file, didn't you? I mean I know it's been accessed. More than once in fact."

"We conducted standard background checks. Same as we would for any new recruit." She answered, non-committally.

"You read Luke's?" He asked.

"Farm boy from Tatooine. What's to read?" She tried not to smile.

"Squeaky clean, huh? Why does that not surprise me?" He goaded, nudging her. "I bet High Command don't see him as a liability."

"I think High Command make it their mission to have doubts about pretty much everybody at one time or another." She mused. "I expect they've had their doubts about me at some time."

_She knows! Of course she knows. She's not an idiot. Unlike you, Solo. _Han thought.

"Wouldn't know about that." He said, feeling her studying him.

"I wasn't suggesting you did." She responded, still eyeing him. "But you _do_ seem like the kind of man who keeps his ears to the ground. Are you sure you haven't heard something, somewhere, sometime?"

"You might not have noticed this your Worship, but I'm _not_ the kind of guy who gets invited to nibble on the crumbs from High Command's table all that often." He told her.

"Somehow, I imagine even if you were, you're not the kind of guy to reveal what he knows." She said.

The dim emergency lighting was replaced by the dim interiors and Han smiled up at them. "See? She's cooling down already. All she needed was a little encouragement."

"Does that mean we can get under way again?" Leia asked.

"You go strap in." He told her, climbing up and offering her his hand which she unexpectedly accepted. "I'll close up here and be right behind you."

Leia had just finished checking her buckles when Han dropped into the pilots seat beside her.

"Think we can make up for lost time?" She asked.

"Making up for lost time is my speciality." He assured her. "Just need to make a couple of adjustments..."

Leia watched as he amended their course to accommodate their unscheduled stop and relaxed once they were again on their way.

"You hungry?" Han enquired. "I only got field rations, but there's enough for two."

"If you have stim tea as well, I might have to marry you." She smiled, unclipping her restraints once more and following him to the main hold.

"Damn! I'm strictly a caf kinda guy!" He laughed.

"Oh well. My loss is some other lucky girl's gain." She suggested.

"You say that like you don't actually believe it." He placed a mug of caf and ration bar before her on the holotable and sat to her side. "I'll have you know, I kind of like the idea of settling down one day. Couple of kids maybe. A boy first, then later a little girl. Yeah, I think it'd be pretty cool to be a family man. One day."

"Just not yet." She observed.

"A guy doesn't want to rush into a thing like marriage." He noted.

"What if you were to meet the right girl?" She asked, raising the mug to her lips.

"Well if she was the right girl, she wouldn't mind waiting for me would she?" He countered. "Why, you got someone in mind?"

Leia merely arched an eyebrow at him and Han threw his head back and laughed. "Don't worry Princess. I always saw myself as a redhead kinda guy."

"I'll try not to whither with disappointment!" She scoffed, taking a small bite of her ration bar. "So how does Chewie feel about this redhead taking his place in your affections?"

"Chewie'd be cool." He replied. "He's my co-pilot and my best friend. But he aint my mother."

"You have a mother?" Leia quirked an eyebrow up again.

Han crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay sweetheart, you want my life story, then here it is. I was born, I went to kindy-school like all the other little boys and I learned real quick that what I really wanted to do was to fly. I joined the Imperial Navy and got my commission out of Carida. As it turns out, I may be just about best darn star pilot you're ever gonna meet, but I don't do so well at taking orders. Especially the kind that involve mistreatment of another sentient being. Droids are different. They aren't sentient. Not really. Anyways I get kicked out of the Navy, hook up with Chewbacca and ply my trade to the highest bidder. The end."

Leia sat for a moment soaking up his tale.

"You have a mother?" She repeated with a wry smile.

"Had." He stated, also smiling. "She died...must be coming on twenty years now."

"How old _are_ you?" She queried, eyebrows beetled and wishing she hadn't sounded quite so astounded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that how it sounded. It's really none of my business."

"My mom was great." Han recalled sadly. "She went before her time."

"Mine too." Leia said. "I was just a little girl when she died. Father was devastated. I think that was why he became so immersed in the Alliance. There's no proof, naturally, but I know Father believed the Empire was to blame."

"Assassinated her you mean?" He asked, getting himself another caf.

"She was infected by a plague that the Empire was suspected of being responsible for. There's no proof, like I said, but..." She let the sentence hang but Han could see the logic.

"A less than subtle reminder to your father just what might happen if he continued with his course of passive resistance." He nodded, knowingly. "I'm so sorry Leia."

"It just made his resolve all the stronger." She advised.

A quiet fell between them again. Both remembering times almost too painful to bear.

"Chewie was a slave." Han blurted, an embarrassed smile resting on his lips. "Back when I was still in the Navy I was responsible for his capture. And, ironically, his escape."

"Is that the reason for the life debt?" Leia queried, leaning back to regard him anew.

"Chewie'd succeeded in releasing pretty much a whole transport of Wookiee slave children when he was captured. My boss, a guy called Pter Nyklas, was pretty pissed by that and ordered me to kill him. I refused and managed to persuade him that Chewie'd make a better slave than a throw-rug." Han shook his head and exhaled. "Nyklas was a tyrant. He got a perverse pleasure outta beating Chewie with this neuronic whip he carried. Then one day, I guess I just snapped. Nyklas was just lashing the guy for no better reason than the fact that he was breathing the same recycled air as him. I stunned Nyklas and helped Chewie escape. Earned myself a court-martial and dishonourable discharge from the Navy. But at least I got my self-respect back, plus Chewie's life debt pledge _and_ I got issued with my first class of Bloodstripe."

"So that's how you got those things." She grinned.

"What? Didn't think I'd stole them did you?" He teased.

"With you Solo anything's possible." She returned her attention to her caf but the grin, he noted, was still on her lips.

And there it was again. That quiet. Only this time it didn't feel so strained.

"So, your second class of Bloodstripes, how did you earn those?" She asked, grin still in place, her eyes sparkling like a naughty child.

"Now that sweetheart, is whole 'nother story!" His reply was interrupted by an alarm. "Coming up on our next jump."

"You need a hand?" She asked, setting her mug down.

"Nah. You sit tight, I'll be back soon as I've overseen the course switch." He told her with a wink.

She watched transfixed as his hips swayed toward the cockpit.  
Once he was out of sight, she reached into an inner pocket of her jacket and pulled out a diamond shaped disc and sighed.

Covert operations were like this, she reminded herself. She'd been on worse and it wasn't like she was being asked to sleep with the guy. Even so, knowing their conversations were being recorded left a slight taste of bile in her mouth. This was not what she had signed up for.  
She dropped the disc back in her pocket and pulled her jacket a little tighter around her. Either it was getting colder or her conscience was playing tricks on her.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The next few hours Leia spent working through a dozen or so reports that required her attention.  
Although Han seemed utterly impervious to the drop in temperature, when her hands started trembling she felt she had no option but to complain.  
Han dutifully increased the temperature control with his fist. It rose sharply, then dropped and levelled out at a point barely above the icy glare Leia was giving him.

"It's not my fault!" He complained.

"Never is, is it flyboy?" She groaned with that tone she seemed to reserve especially for him.

"We needed to cool her down to get her under way and now she's, well, she's...unresponsive." He explained with a shrug.

"'Unresponsive' being the technical term for 'broken', I presume?" She sneered.

"If I'd meant broken I would have said broken. Soon as she gets to optimum temperature, she'll warm right back up again." He told her. "Unlike some Princesses I could mention." He added beneath his breath.

"Optimum temperature for what, ice cubes?" She scoffed.

"Consider it an acclimatisation test. For when the Alliance conquers Hoth." He countered.

"Hoth! How do you know about Hoth?" She demanded. "That's supposed to be top secret."

"Well, you know me, I'm a guy who likes to keep his ears to the ground." He answered smugly.

"Han I'm serious. How do you know about Hoth?" She asked.

"I dunno. Just talk about the base I guess." He shrugged.

"Talk from whom?" She pressed.

"Just talk." He replied. "Sweetheart, outfits like the Alliance feed off of gossip. You should hang out in the Mess Hall more often, you'd be surprised some of the stuff you get to hear."

Her expression and deep breathing troubled him.

"You really are worried, aren't you?" He asked.

"You know we've been looking for a permanent base since we had to evacuate Yavin." She told him. "Well, Hoth isn't so much a contender as it is a certainty. We've had a team in place for about a month now and they're confident it can fulfil our needs. But _nobody_ is supposed to know that. Even I'm only supposed to know it as a possibility."

"And yet, you know it as a certainty." He pointed out. "So who told you?"

"Mon Mothma. But her word can be accepted with impunity." Leia answered.

"Why?" Han asked.

"Why!" Leia exclaimed. "Because she's a founding member of the Alliance for one."

"Maybe she's had a change of heart." He suggested.

"Mon Mothma is not behind this." Leia insisted.

"So let me guess, you're thinking it's someone not so high up the lofty heights of High Command. Someone who, for example, isn't known for his loyalty to much of anyone but himself. That about right?" He queried.

"If the word 'traitor' fits?" She stated.

"Might have slipped your notice your Highnessness, but wherever _you_ go _I_ go. So you see, it's not really much in my best interests to give your location away." He countered.

"Thought you were leaving." She shot back.

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure." He assured her, planting his hands on his hips. "But stay or go one thing's for sure, I don't rat on my friends. And before you say it, I was talking about Luke."

Leia's jaw dropped open, the hurt clearly etched on her face.

"I have work to do." She said simply, turned on her heels and thundered off to the bunkroom.

_Real smooth Solo! _Han thought, before considering how he could make amends.

He left her to her work, opting to hide in the small galley and trying to pull together something akin to a half decent meal.  
He and Chewie usually made do with field rations but his latest gaff presented him with the ideal opportunity to prepare his favourite spicy Corellian stew. Plus, there were leftovers that needed clearing out. 

Once their meal was ready, Han moved tentatively through to the crew quarters.  
Leia was sitting tailor style, her padd on the bunk in front of her, hugging the blanket around her shoulders.  
Han leaned against the doorway, arms folded and crossing one ankle over the other to study her. She'd untangled her hair probably so it's drape would add extra warmth to her shoulders. Some cascaded about the left side of her face obscuring his appearance from her. Wearing her hair that way, Han noted, made her look younger than her twenty years. Not that twenty could be considered all that old.

"You hungry?" He intoned.

His deep rumble startled her and her head snapped up, eyes adjusting from the bright glare of the padd.

"Didn't mean to interrupt." He said, a smile creeping up one side of his face. "Just wondered if you'd like something to eat that aint field rations."

Her stomach growled.

"I'll take that as a yes." He smiled, held out a hand and bobbed his head. "C'Mon."

Unable to quieten the sounds emanating from her innards, Leia wordlessly climbed off the bunk and let him lead her by the hand back toward the galley.

"No. Wait." He told her, swinging around behind her and covering her eyes with his hands. "I want you to follow your nose."

He felt her slump against him. "Han, I really don't have time..."

"Sure you do. How long's it gonna take to sniff out my blend of herbs and spices." He nudged her into moving again, hearing the deep sigh but noting she didn't resist his touch. Or his proximity.

"Are we there yet?" She asked impatiently after he had guided her to the two bowls of steaming soup he had made.

"Ta da!" He announced, uncovering her eyes. "What do you say to that Princess?"

Leia blinked, regained her sight and eyed the bowls with suspicion.

"It looks...hot." She said, struggling with a suitable adjective.

"Knew you'd like it." He grinned. "You grab the spoons and the crackers and I'll take the bowls through."

She followed him once more to the holotable and they both settled down to eat. Han tasted his soup, crumbled a handful of crackers into it and began eating lustily. He eyed Leia as she picked and poked her way through the contents of her bowl.

"It's okay. I didn't poison it, if that's what you're thinking." He said, slurping another spoonful.

She smiled, sheepishly and half-filled her spoon.

"An', for what it's worth, I didn't mean what I said. You know, implying Luke was my friend and that you, well, weren't." He added.

She swallowed the soup and immediately started coughing.

"You okay?" He dropped his spoon and patted her back.

"Spicy!" She croaked.

"Yeah. Like all us Corellians." He waggled his eyebrows again, that cocksure grin back in place.

"I...I usually eat a little...plainer." She apologised.

"Yeah." Han tutted. "Chewie likes his food on the bland side too. Figured I'd pep this one up seeing as the old flea bag wasn't here."

"I like tasty food." She insisted, adding some crackers. "Just not so...fiery. I suppose that's a Corellian trait too."

"You see." He joke-punched her upper arm. "You _are_ getting to know me after all."

"Yes. I suppose I am." She blew at her spoon through her smile and took another mouthful of soup.

"Doesn't mean you have to like me though!" He said.

"Doesn't mean I have to like you though!" She said, at exactly the same time.

They looked at one another, eyes locked for a heartbeat that felt like a lifetime.

"Better not let it get cold Princess." He said, unable or unwilling to stop gazing into the dark pools of her eyes. "That's another Corellian trait, we're a dish best served hot."

"I bet." She responded.

A klaxon broke through the spell.

"Last jump." He commented, averting his eyes. "Better go make sure the old bucket don't decide to do a one-eighty on us by accident."

Leia found herself staring into the liquid in her bowl and wondering if anyone ever drowned in soup. She had the strongest feeling yet of what was happening here and however inconvenient it might be, she was just as strongly aware that she would be powerless to stop it.  
If indeed stopping it was what she wanted. 

By the time Han returned, to his relief, Leia was gone.  
Not that a little female company wasn't appreciated, but whatever was going on here needed to stop. And stop soon, before someone went and got her heart stomped on.  
A clattering from the galley told him she hadn't gone far and a moment later she reappeared from the access hatch with two mugs in her hands.

"Since you kindly cooked us a Corellian delicacy I thought I'd share with you an Alderaanian favourite of mine." She said, holding out a mug to him.

He gazed into the soft brown depths and arched an eyebrow. "I hate to break this to you honey, but hot chocolate isn't a traditional Alderaanian drink."

"I didn't say it was an exclusive." She countered. "Besides, it was all I could find apart from caf and you drink too much of that stuff."

"It keeps me alert." Han argued.

"So would stim tea if you drank that instead." She pointed out.

"Stim tea!" He pulled a face. "Tastes like Bantha spit."

"It's very refreshing." She added.

"Still tastes like Bantha spit." He repeated.

"Tell me, is anyone allowed to win an argument with you?" She queried.

"Sure. Chewie is." He confided. "Although, between you and me, that's just self-preservation. He's a pretty sore loser and I kinda like having my arms and legs _inside_ their sockets."

Leia found herself laughing with him again and also found herself wondering why she was letting herself get drawn in.

"So..." She started, with no immediate idea what would come next.

"So..." He repeated, similarly disorientated.

"You know what to do when we reach the rendezvous?" She asked.

"Just wait was the way I heard it." Han replied.

"Well, there's a little more to it than that but I suppose, you're close enough." She advised.

"More how?" He frowned.

"Didn't Rieekan give you the transmission code?" She queried.

"What transmission code?" He growled.

"It's nothing." She shook her head. "I can easily send it, you don't need to do anything."

"A transmission code!" He exclaimed.

"So that Targeter knows we're in place." Leia explained.

"Not to mention any Imperials who happen to be scanning the area." He reminded her.

"Except we're not going to be in Imperial space. Your words remember?" She retaliated.

"Yeah...about that...Might have had to cross into Imperial space just a tiny bit." He scratched the back of his head and held a thumb and forefinger apart no more than a centimetre, extending it to an inch.

"What?" She demanded.

"It's not my fault." He placed a hand over his chest. "You were the one who wanted to stay on schedule."

"So it's my fault?" She queried.

"Well, if you insist on taking the blame..." He said, losing the fight against a chuckle.

Leia glared at him and sought something to slap him with. Having nothing to hand she opted for an open palm batting at him more in jest than anything else.

"Uncle! _Uncle__!_"He called, laughing.

"What's 'uncle'?" She asked, also laughing.

"What, you didn't play 'uncle' when you were a kid?" He asked, fending off blow after blow.

Leia ceased her attack and arched an eyebrow. "I entered the Imperial Senate when I was seventeen. Father was a wonderful man and I loved him very much, but he raised me to serve; in the Senate as Alderaanian Senator and for my people, as their Princess and one day their Queen. There wasn't much time for being a 'kid'. Or for playing 'uncle'."

"You must have had time for at least _some_ fun?" He queried.

"I had a Thranta. I used to ride that." She told him.

"A Thranta! Don't those things fly?" He asked.

"Your point, flyboy?" She grinned.

"It's not the same." He insisted.

"Did you always want to be a pilot?" She asked.

"Pretty much I guess." He fidgeted, the way she'd noticed he did when the conversation risked turning sour. "My dad...he wasn't much of an 'example', if you know what I mean. So dreaming about being out there with the stars was my way of getting away from all that."

"You don't talk much about your past. About your youth I mean." She noted.

"Didn't we have this conversation already?" He queried. "You read my file, you know all there is to know."

From the silence that fell Leia had the feeling she'd just fallen into the clam-trap. _Push him too hard, _she reminded herself, _and he'll just clam up!_

"The hot chocolate's good." She said, steering clear of anything that might upset him.

"I keep it on board for Luke. It's like a night on hard liquor to the kid." He rolled his eyes.

_He keeps hot chocolate for Luke, but not stim tea for me. _She thought absently. _Interesting._

"I hope Luke's all right." She sighed.

"Why shouldn't he be?" Han asked, sourly.

"General Rieekan has him off on some errand collecting parts with Wedge and Wes. The Stars alone know what trouble they'll get him into." She replied.

"Parts?" He probed. _My parts?_

"Some contact of Carlist's has a shipment of used and abused parts he wants rid of." Leia explained. "So Carlist offered to take them off his hands. Don't ask me how he did it, but he even managed to get them all for free!"

"No kidding!" Han sneered. "Free huh? What's he gonna do with 'em?"

"I guess he'll get the techs to go through them." She answered. "Anything we can salvage, we'll store and the rest will get scrapped. Knowing Carlist, I bet he's got some sweet deal all set up to sell whatever he can."

_Yeah. _Han thought. _For your secrets and my self-respect. Some sweet deal Carlist!_

"Wedge requested Luke _personally_." Leia said with an air of confidentiality. "Promised to show him a good time with it being his birthday. I hate to think what he's got planned."

"Probably gonna get the kid laid!" Han growled, biting back his jealously. It'd been a while.

"Surely not!" Leia scowled.

"Why not? 'Bout time the kid lost his cherry! Might help him to wise up." Han said, still trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Luke has more intelligence than you give him credit for." Leia chided.

"Plus a mouth he needs to learn to keep shut." Han countered, grinning maliciously. "It was Luke who told me about Hoth."

"Ah!" Leia sighed her understanding. "I'll talk to him when we get back."

Han barked a laugh.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"You." He told her. "If it'd been me, you'd have been ready with a drumhead court-martial. But because it's Luke, you'll 'talk' to him."

"Not everyone responds to the same stimuli Han." She teased.

"Stimuli?" He grinned lasciviously.

"I mean, that Luke responds to gentle persuasion. Whilst you require a considerably more direct approach." She corrected.

"That's the second time today I've been called insensitive." He admitted.

"Only the second?" Leia arched an amused eyebrow at him.

His deadpan stare reduced her to an unrestrained giggle. Then he began to playfully flick at her with his middle finger and thumb.

"No! Stop!" Leia giggled, fending off his attack. "Uncle. _Uncle!_"

"So, _now_ you know how to play 'uncle'!" He laughed, maintaining his barrage.

"What can I tell you, I'm a quick study." She squeaked.

They sat back, aware that they had again allowed themselves to lapse into something akin to being comfortable with one another.

"I really should get back to my work." Leia apologised.

"That's right. Leave me with the cleansing cycle!" He ribbed her.

"Well you wouldn't expect _me_ to do it would you?" She cajoled back.

He gathered her mug along with his own and watched her return to the bunkroom. There was something about her long hair swaying as counterbalance to her hips that he found alluring.  
_Forget it Solo._ He admonished himself. _You got more chance of free-falling from hyperspace than you have of bedding down with that little filly!  
_

Something, somewhere screeched, hissed, screeched again, the lights dimmed and then returned to normal level.

"Don't worry, I'm on it!" Han called through to her, leaving the mugs to fur-over and heading back to the cockpit.

After a full half hour of cursing, Han strolled casually through to lean again in the bunkroom doorway.

"The good news is, we're at the rendezvous." He told her.

"Great. Why's it so cold?" She asked.

"That'll be the bad news. We lost environmental." He replied.

"You can get it back though, right?" She queried.

"The good news is yes." He said, avoiding eye contact.

"How long?" She pulled the blanket around her shoulders tighter to her.

"That'll be the bad news."' He said. "I'm gonna need to set her down, shut her down and reboot every system. One by one."

"That's going to take some time isn't it?" She asked, her mind already making calculations.

"It'd be quicker with Chewie here." He acknowledged. "Long story short, we may not be able to meet this Targeter of yours after all."

"But we have to!" Leia jumped to her feet.

"I know it's your birthday an' all, but when the systems go off-line we'll be blind, deaf and dumb. I can't risk our location to an incoming ship on the off chance it's your sister." He insisted.

"What risk? There is no risk, she'll be alone." She argued.

"I'm sorry Leia, I just can't take that chance." He told her. "I'm going to set her down on the nearest planetoid and start the repairs."

"But it's been six months!" Leia protested. "It's taken weeks of planning. You have to let me see her!"

"What I _have_ to do is get environmental back on line so we don't both freeze to death." He thrust a single finger in her face to warn against any further argument. "Then I gotta get her space worthy again so I can get you home before High Command think I've completely lost my mind and kidnapped you."

"Han..." She started.

"You think it's cold now? If we don't get the Falcon on the ground and undercover it's gonna get a whole lot colder. An' no blanket in the Galaxy is going to keep the sub-zero temperature from freezing that sassy ass of yours right into the afterlife!" He shot back.

"I was going to say you're making the right decision." She said softly. "And to apologise for being difficult."

"I..er...I could probably use a hand." He offered. "You know, if you're not doing anything."

Leia smiled and followed him to the cockpit, taking the co-pilot's seat with ease.

"What do you need me to do?" She asked.

"Scan for somewhere to land." He suggested. "Uninhabited would be good, with vegetation for cover and, if possible, no predators."

"How about here?" She pointed. "It also has a spa!"

"Cute!" He snorted.

"Okay, I lied about the spa." She said.

"No, really?" He exclaimed.

"But that aside, it seems to be what we're looking for." She finished.

"Fine. We'll set down there." He set the co-ordinates and eyed her. "You manage to send that transmission code I told you we couldn't risk, or do you need me to keep looking the other way a few minutes more?"

"If you knew I was going to send it, why did you let me anywhere near a console?" She queried.

"Because at least now I know for certain you sent it rather than wondering if you'd accessed the engineering controls in the main hold." He answered.

"She's a professional, working deep undercover." Leia faced forward defiantly. "She knows the dangers just as well as I do and she is _not_ going to do anything to jeopardise any of us."

"You better know this friend of yours as well as you say you do, sister. Because if I get so much as a smudge on my ship..." His finger was in her face again. "You, Princess, will be scrubbing it off, with your tongue!"


	4. Chapter 4

After a couple of sweeps to find the best location, they set the ship down and Han began by setting up a number of crude tripwires and alerts to any intruders.  
Then with a deep inhale, he shut the Falcon down.

"Okay, until we've got her back up and running we are vulnerable." He told her. Again. "So that means eyes and ears open at all times. Got it?"

"Hm? What d'you say?" She noted his sour expression and assured him. "Got it boss."

_Of all the women to get stuck with. _Han thought. _She has got to be just about the damned worst!_

"You any good with a microfuser?" He asked.

"I can learn." She advised.

He was already striding through the ship with Leia struggling to keep up. "Get yourself some goggles and don't argue with me, a microfuser can blind a person permanently without even trying. I seen it first hand. An' another thing." He swung about, Leia almost colliding with him as she drew to a halt. "Don't get in my way." He told her, his voice simpering.

_This is his domain. _She thought, fighting to keep the smile from her face. _Let him mark his territory, it's his prerogative._

Leia followed Han's instructions, fusing whatever he pointed at and waiting patiently for his grudging approval. She had to admit, she quite liked this side to him. This was one of the reasons the men admired him, why they listened to his sometimes less than reasoned arguments. Because he knew his ship, knew her abilities and her weaknesses. Knew how to get the best out of her and could teach them how to know their own craft just as well, if they cared to listen and learn.  
She continued to fight the smile as he picked through the Falcon, finding anything that might affect the reboot and fixing it until he announced. "All-righty. Let's start her up!" 

Back in the cockpit, Han flexed his fingers over the controls and uttered a silent prayer. Then he began the start-up procedure, taking each step slowly as one by one the systems moved from red to green.

"How's it looking?" Leia dared to ask.

"_She_. Not 'it'. The Falcon's a she with all the quirks and peculiarities that entails." He corrected.

"How's _she_ looking?" Leia asked with a roll of her eyes.

"As beautiful as she ever was." Han grinned over at Leia, the glow of the Falcon's controls lighting her complexion.

With those dark eyes and cheeks flushing a little pink, he had to remind himself he was talking about his ship and not his current co-pilot.  
A warning light blinked on. Then off. Then on again and remained steady.

Han frowned down. "Well aint that just dandy!" He hissed. "Of all the things to go wrong this trip it had to be environmental."

"I thought you'd fixed that." She stated.

"Guess the Falcon's got other ideas!" He said.

"So, now what?" She queried.

"I'll go see if I can crank her up a notch or two. You stay here in case your friend Targeter makes contact." He climbed out of his seat and headed back off toward the rear cargo bay again.

Leia shook her head. Yes the men liked Han. They respected him, considered him one of their own. They worked alongside him and followed his lead. But he was still one of the most exasperating individuals Leia had ever had the misfortune to meet.

There followed a sustained barrage of verbal abuse from Han's direction, together with 'sons of siths', 'sons of banthas' and 'sons of something-Leia-had-not-heard-before', then he emerged triumphant and covered in grease.

"It aint much but it'll still be warmer down here than it is up there." He indicated skyward. "Your friend been in touch yet?"

"Not yet." Leia admitted.

"Might wanna try and get some sleep. 'Cos in fourteen standard hours this baby's on her way home, ready or not." He said, wiping greasy hands on an even greasier rag.

"It's too cold to sleep." She replied, adjusting the blanket around her.

"Bunkroom's warmer." He smiled at her warmly. Her expression cooled him by a good dozen or so degrees. "Besides, what else you got to do? Sensors are set to alert us to any uninvited guests and we could both use the rest."

Leia's eyes were beginning to burn, a sure sign she was tired. But the idea of bunking with _him_ in his own lair filled her with a certain amount of trepidation.  
_Pull yourself together Organa!_ She chided herself, after all, it wasn't as if they hadn't been required to sleep in close proximity before.  
With an inward sigh, she rose from her seat.

"You wanna clean up in the 'fresher first?" He asked.

"I'd pay good credits for a hot bath, but..." She started.

"Standard sonic shower it is." He finished for her.

Sonic showers cleansed the flesh, but nothing could beat the sheer exhilaration of a hot, real water bath. Or the expense!  
Re-dressed and at least partially refreshed, she headed through to the crew quarters where Han had just finished preparing her bunk.

"Want me to tuck you in?" He grinned sweetly.

"I think I can manage." She grinned less than sweetly back.

She heard him chuckling to himself all the way to the 'fresher and, after barely enough time for her to remove and stow her boots, his amusement could be heard throughout his return.  
Doing her best to ignore him, Leia climbed into the bunk and cocooned herself inside the blankets.  
If there was one thing she couldn't complain about, it was Han's taste in bed linen.

"Comfy?" He asked.

"Very. Thank you." She replied.

"That's good to know." He dragged his boots off and left them where they dropped. "You look like a spooner. Are you a spooner?"

"I doubt it very much. Whatever that is." She answered.

"Have it your own way. Shove over would you sweetheart." He said and lifted the blanket to climb in.

"What do you think you're doing?" She exclaimed, gripping the coverlet tightly.

"Getting in. What's it look like?" He asked, tugging at the bed cover.

"What's wrong with your own bed?" She argued.

"It's not got you in it for one." He teased. "Plus, my blankets are on this one. Or did you think I liked sleeping with just a thin sheet over me.

Leia craned her neck to look at the bunk opposite. She hadn't noticed the absence of any coverings until he pointed it out and now that he had she felt she had no choice but to reluctantly release her grasp.

She shuffled backwards against the bulkhead, her back teeth grinding together as she glared at him making himself comfortable beside her.

"I suppose you're going to tell me next that we'd be warmer if we were both naked!" She ground out.

"I think that only works when you're dripping wet." He grinned at the innuendo. "You're not dripping wet are you Princess?"

He turned onto his side facing her, making an effort at pulling the blankets about them and allowing the cool air to chill her.

"Will you please lie still, you're letting the cold in!" She snapped.

"My butt's still hanging out." He told her. "There's more of me than there is of you...Hang on. That's it. I'm in."

They settled, facing one another but with a pronounced gap between their bodies. Leia's heavy breathing eventually slowed as she calmed down.

"You're enjoying this aren't you." She accused him.

"I'd enjoy it a whole lot more if you'd relax and come a little closer." He told her, his voice carrying the kind of velvety smooth timbre she expected he employed in many a seduction. "Seriously, what do you think I'm going to do through whatever it is that jumpsuit of yours is made from? All I want, is to keep you warm."

He edged a little closer and forced an arm beneath her shoulders.

"I'm warning you Solo!" She snarled.

"I'm not trying anything, just getting comfortable." He informed her, his free hand resting against her hip.

"Watch your hands!" She barked.

"Look. Sweetheart. There's a couple of ways we can play this." He answered back. "Either we can snuggle up, nice and warm and cozy like and get through the next few hours like the civilised humans we're supposed to be or we can act like a couple of spoiled kids. So which is it to be?"

"You're the one behaving like a child! Making suggestions and lewd comments!" She countered.

"Okay. All right. I apologise. That make you feel any better?" He asked.

Grudgingly she slowly relaxed into him, her hands firmly placed against his chest while his arms encircled her shoulders and her waist, holding her in a loose embrace.

"I bet you can't wait to tell the boys back at base about this!" She hissed.

"You kidding? I'm gonna be dining at the best restaurants in the Galaxy for quite some time to come I shouldn't wonder." He teased.

She struggled against him and he laughed, apologising again.

"I'm joking. Leia, honestly, I'm just kidding." He offered, trying to placate her whilst holding her firmly.

She relaxed again, letting her head fall into his shoulder, his throat pressed to the top of her head.

"I'm really not that shallow." He said to her scoffing laugh. "I'm not! You ever heard me boast about my female companions?"

"No. I guess not." She admitted.

"No. Nor will you." He stated. "Some things should remain between two people. Sex is one of 'em."

They lay, curled together, quietly estimating the intentions of the other.

"You know, I'd be a lot warmer if you draped your arm around me." He suggested.

"Don't push it!" She snapped back and Han grinned to himself.

"No. You're right. What does it matter if I get a chill in my kidneys." He complained.

"You'll get my knee in your groin if you don't quit your griping!" She argued.

The thought of her tenderly caressing him brought a familiar ache to his gonads.  
Even spitting venom at him she was sexy. He wondered if she realised just how alluring that was.  
Han closed his eyes and tried not to imagine her shoulders and tiny waist naked beneath his hands.  
_You need to get yourself laid Solo, never mind about Luke! _He thought, breathing in the scent of her hair and he smiled to himself at the sensation of her small hand creeping around his back. 

As they sank deeper into a state of complete relaxation, Leia took a moment to glance up at the smuggler.  
He wasn't so bad when she came to think about it. Loud, yes. Brash, without a doubt. But talented too, which he was all too prepared to brag about.  
_How far? _She wondered. _Did those talents extend._

__She brushed the lurid thought from her mind as her eyes fell to the scar on his chin.  
There were stories as to where the scar had come from. She'd heard as many florid tales of daring deeds as she had of innocent accidents during exciting escapades. Whatever the reality, she suspected it was hidden beneath so many layers of untruths and inaccuracies that even Han himself wouldn't recognise it's origin any more. 

Then her eyes caught a glimmer of something else. Just for a moment, on an inhale of breath, she saw a silvery crease against his collarbone.  
Cautiously, taking her lower lip between her teeth, she tentatively unwrapped her arm from him to slowly, gently slide his shirt collar aside.

Her eyes traced the silvery scar to it's end and wondered how that came to be. Facial scars were often considered a sign of ruggedness and of masculinity in the male of the species. But even the least vain creature could have eliminated any scarring simply by having a wound treated by bacta and covered by synthflesh.  
And she found herself wondering, not for the first time, what horrors this man might have seen, might have experienced.

She returned her arm to it's position about his waist and guiltily looked up to see two hazel-green eyes looking down at her.  
Leia bit her lip self-consciously and swallowed.

"Did Shrike do that to you?" She asked, confirming she had indeed accessed his personal history.

"Garris Shrike was eager with a whip, but he'd never leave a slave marked. It'd decrease their value too much." Han said. "No, that was my dad. A little reminder of what happens when you get in his way."

"What did happen?" She asked, then winced. "I'm sorry. None of my business. I'm making a habit of that."

"I got in his way." Han answered simply. Even in the dim light of the bunkroom, he could see her blushing and felt guilty. "Dad could be a little 'eager' too. He didn't have a whip like Shrike but he _did_ have a belt with this real mean buckle." He released her long enough to trace a finger along the scar. "I don't remember what I did to upset him that particular time, I _do_ remember the buckle slicing through the skin and breaking the bone."

"Oh Han!" Leia exclaimed. "I'm so sorry."

"It healed. No biggie." He said.

"But your own father..." She shook her head sorrowfully.

"So it would have been okay if it _had_ been Shrike?" He queried.

"No. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." She apologised. "I suppose it's just that my childhood was so idyllic, it's easy to forget not everyone is so fortunate."

"It was a long time ago now." Han shrugged. "He died way back. Probably before you were even a twinkle in your papa's eye."

She eased herself against him, trying not to contemplate other scars he might carry, where they might be and what shape they might take. 

Within minutes they were both asleep, waking within a few seconds of each other just over six standard hours later. Both stretched, feeling gloriously refreshed and without a shred of embarrassment at their situation. They rolled apart to lie side by side.

"Sleep well your Worship?" Han asked, yawning and stretching his facial muscles.

"About the best in quite some time I think." She confessed, smiling over at him.

"Perhaps I should invite you to my bed more often Princess." He suggested, looking her way, grinning and arching an eyebrow.

"Perhaps you should." She answered, her tone flirtatious.

"And if I did..." He pushed himself up on one elbow and straightened her jacket. "Would you come?"

His eyes locked on hers, waiting for a forceful rebuke or scornful laugh. Mischievous dark eyes gazed back up at him, a sense of amusement dancing somewhere within them.  
Leia opened her mouth to answer just as a proximity alarm sounded throughout the ship.

"You know the drill." He reminded her as he jumped from the bed, pulled on his boots and strode off to check what was going on.

The 'drill' was for Leia to find herself a storage compartment and hide until Han told her it was safe to come out. It had only been employed a couple of times and both times, according to Han, it had saved her life. Leia suspected that on both occasions any danger posed to her had been minimal, since Han had been able to bribe their boarding party with the liquor he kept stashed for just such an event. All Leia needed to do was remember not to hide in the same compartment as the liquor.

"S'okay. S'all right." Han called and she heard his feet clattering through the ship. "The good news is it was just a small animal. The better news is, give me thirty minutes and it'll be breakfast."

He continued through the ship waiting to hear her rap against the panel she was hiding behind.

"Say where are you?" He called, puzzled.

He rounded a corridor and found her standing in the bunkroom doorway, a pile of blankets in her arms.

"What happened to the drill?" He growled.

Leia glanced back into the room then shoved the blankets into Han's arms.

"Notches on a bedpost? A bit of a cliché, even for you, isn't it flyboy?" She asked through her teeth.

Han stepped past her and dumped the blankets down, planting his hands on his hips and staring at his stripped bed.

"You care to explain this?" He demanded.

"You care to explain that?" She snapped and pointed a neatly manicured finger at the scrapes against the bulkhead wall previously hidden by pillows.

"It's not what you're thinking." He told her, understanding her jealously.

"No?" Her accusatory tone now getting on his nerves.

"No." He repeated. "And frankly sweetheart, even if it was, it's not really any of your business. Is it?"

He saw her flinch. Whether she was annoyed at him, or at herself for exposing her feelings, was unclear.

"You mind putting my bed back the way I like it while I go make us some breakfast?" He asked.

"Do you plan on adding _me_ to that...thing?" Her embarrassment was obviously giving way to anger.

"First off, it's not what you think. And second, even if it was what you think the answer would still be no since guys usually only mark their conquests. _Not_ their lucky escapes!" He replied, his own temper rising.

He'd done it again. His stinging retort had shaken her hard, he could tell.  
How two people could go from masters of flirtation to brutal opponents in a matter of moments was beyond his simple male comprehension.

"Don't worry about breakfast for me. I'm not hungry anyway." She said defiantly. "I'll fix up the bed and you fix the environmental controls and then maybe, we can get back to normal."

She turned on her heel and Han heard the 'fresher locking mechanism echo through the Falcon's corridors.  
After what seemed to Han far too long in the 'fresher, he heard Leia emerge and return to the bunkroom to her duties there.

_Women! _He mentally barked. _Can't live with 'em, can't legally trade 'em for parts!  
_With a final clang, the lever he had been trying to coax into movement made a squeal of protest then swivelled to the right.

"At last!" He groaned, muttering to the ship beneath his breath. "You mischievous old bird of prey! You know she's gonna think I did it on purpose."

There was a groaning of metal which Han felt sure was the ship laughing at him.  
He stopped by the bunkroom which was now empty but immaculately presented. Something Han suspected she had done by way of apology.  
Well, he might not be ready to completely forgive her just yet, but there was no harm in making his own efforts.

Cleaning up, he returned to the small galley and set about preparing another bowl of stew. Less spicy this time, but still full of flavour.  
He'd just placed the two bowls on the holotable when she appeared from the direction of the cockpit.

"I think you should know, I've received confirmation from Targeter. She'll be here in no more than two standard hours." Leia reported. "So I won't be keeping you here any longer than necessary."

"We got time for something to eat first then." He tried to keep his voice light.

"I'm really not very hungry." she protested.

"Come on." He smiled. "Sit. Eat. It's good, I promise."

"It'll be too spicy for me." She argued.

"I made it with you in mind." He insisted, sitting so as not to intimidate her. "Besides, when an animal does you the favour of walking into your trap, you don't waste it's carcass. Eat."

"Put like that, how could I resist?" She replied and joined him at the holotable, careful not to sit too close.

"It's nice." She admitted. "What is it?"

"Stew!" He said, as if stating the obvious.

"I meant the meat. It's incredibly tender, what is it?" She queried.

Han shrugged. "Small, fury creature with little gnawing teeth and the biggest pair of ears I ever did see. Apart from that, no idea."

"I suppose you've already got plans for the poor creature's fur too." She said.

"Why Princess! You want me to stitch a little something together for you maybe" He teased. "Ear muff, something a little more...intimate maybe?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about and to be honest I don't really think I want to." She stated flatly.

Han threw his head back and roared with laughter.

"You know something, not only can I _not_ imagine you wearing what I was talking about but I really don't think I'd want you to." He said, spooning stew into his mouth.

Leia eyed him suspiciously.

"Why?" She eventually asked. "What _were_ you talking about?"

Han shook his head slowly, getting the measure of her. _Okay_. He thought.

"I had this..acquaintance..in the outer rim. Used to hide her light under a fur bushel." He grinned.

"Han, I still have no idea what you're..." Leia's face grew pale and her mouth dropped open as understanding dawned, a finger pointing toward her abdomen. "You mean..."

"Oh yeah! Cutest thing I ever saw." His grin widened.

"I'll take your word for it!" Leia answered and lowered her head to eat her stew.

Han tried to hide his amusement though Leia's own averted gaze did much to afford him chance to compose himself.

"I think I should apologise." Leia said when she'd eaten her stew. "You were right."

"Aint I always?" He queried.

"Whoever those scratches are for, they're none of my business." She admitted without meeting his gaze.

Han ran a hand over his face. "Did you count 'em?" He asked.

"I didn't think it was appropriate." She replied.

"There's thirty-five." He told her. "It's my age."

"Your what?" She questioned.

"My age." He reiterated. "When you've spent as much time as I have flying from one system to another and all of them following their own version of a standard calendar, I figured it was a way of keeping track of Corellian time."

"You couldn't have told me this earlier?" She asked.

"You couldn't have believed me when I said it wasn't what you were thinking?" He countered.

"It seems to me that we have issues with trust and communication." She sighed.

"It seems to me you need to get that stick outta your ass!" He told her.

"You could have just been honest with me in the first place!" She argued.

"Yeah, I could." He agreed wearing that grin that annoyed her so much. "But where's the fun in that?"

Leia wanted to fume. Wanted to tell him what an insufferable pain in the royal behind he was. Instead, she found herself desperately trying not to laugh.

"You know, that stew was really good." She said, changing the subject. "Maybe you should share the recipe with the Mess Hall."

"I'm not really one to write things down, I just kinda make stuff up off the hoof as it were." He waved away her suggestion absently.

"You must have a basic method." She withdrew her padd from a pocket along with a stylus. "Just an idea. You know, stir the meat...add the vegetables..."

"I said no!" He pushed to his feet, grabbing their empty bowls and marching into the galley.

Leia looked down at her padd a moment, comprehension colouring her cheeks. She put the padd and stylus way and slowly moved toward the galley.

"It must have been hard for you in the Imperial Navy." She watched his movements in the small, poorly lit room. "Not being able to read or write would be quite a burden I imagine."

"I read and write just fine, thank you!" He barked, storming past her and almost knocking her to the floor as he went.

"Then what is it Han?" She persisted. "You never file a report and you don't seriously expect me to believe you notch up your birthdays?"

"I write fine!" He shouted, turning on her, his face flushed with anger.

Leia stepped back, momentarily taken aback by his ferocity. Seeing her shock, Han softened.

"I...I just...I don't spell so good." He confessed. "And yeah. The Imperial Navy was hard. Not the flying or the technical stuff. That was a breeze. But writing it all down after..."

Han shifted his gaze to the deckplate, chewing at his bottom lip.

"They humiliated you." Leia whispered.

"They gave me words to spell. Easy ones. Hard ones. Made no difference, I'd still get the letters muddled sometimes. And every time I got the word wrong, they'd take a rifle butt to a finger until they'd smashed all but three."

"Han!" His name from her lips was nothing but a soft breath.

"They healed. Straight too, most of 'em." He said, his voice cold and dispassionate. "You wanna know what's so ironic? My fingers are kinda loose now, like they're double-jointed. That's what makes 'em so fast on the trigger. So you see, they did me a favour really. From a certain point of view."

Leia stared up at the man, everything she thought she knew blown away.

"It doesn't have to be like that Han." She advised him.

"Can't change history your Highnessness, you of all people must know that." He pointed out.

"No. maybe not." She agreed. "But it doesn't mean the future has to be the same."

"I'm too old an' set in my ways to be going back to school." He shook his head.

"I'm not suggesting that." She said. "I could teach you."

"You?" He scoffed.

"Why not? I had the finest tutors Alderaan had to offer, my command of both verbal and written basic is second to none." She boasted.

"Great idea." He said. "So High Command won't just think of me as a liability, but as a dumb liability too!"

"Nobody needs to know." Leia assured him. "Chewie's already teaching me Shyriiwook. I'll just divide my time between the two of you."

"I...I dunno..." He said, doubtfully.

"You say you're writing is fine. Tell me how you see words?" She asked, getting an arched eyebrow in reply. "What I mean is there are medical conditions where a writer doesn't see all of the letters and that's why he gets the word wrong. And another where the letters look jumbled. Others too I'm sure, I can't remember them all right now. Have you ever been tested?"

"You're telling me I'm dumb with a medical condition!" He grumbled.

"I'm telling you, this can be fixed." She placed her small hand on his arm, it's warmth penetrating his shirt sleeve. "I want to help. If I can."

"Why? Why would you do that?" He queried, perplexed.

"You mean, what's in it for me?" She smiled. _Apart from the time we'd spend together. In close quarters. Getting to know one another on a more one-to-one level. _"It's what the Rebel Alliance stands for. Opportunities for all, not just the elite or the wealthy." _Plus I want to get to know you flyboy. I like what I see and I want to see more. _"Plus, I believe you could have a long and successful military career ahead of you. And being able to interpret and to write good, clear basic is a prerequisite for such a future."

"I dunno..." He repeated. _My best friend's besotted with you. Do you even know that? Are you even aware he exists any more than you know I do?_

"Just agree to think about it." Her hand squeezed very gently and goosebumps unexpectedly sprouted across his flesh.

"Okay. I'll think about it." He agreed.

"That's all I ask." She beamed.

She wanted to say more but they were interrupted by the alert to an incoming craft.

"That'll be for me." She said, her eyes again holding his.

"I should probably verify that." He said.

Leia smiled her acceptance, accompanied by a brief nod.

"Until then, you know the drill." He reminded her pointedly. "You _do_ know the drill right?"

She pursed her lips, struggling not to laugh and set off to her hiding place.  
The incoming ship provided Han with all the clearances requested, much to his annoyance, and once it became clear he couldn't justify delaying proceedings any further, he gave clearance for the ship to land close by.  
Han helped Leia from the storage compartment, noting her agitation.

"Hey, slow down!" Han strode after her as she hurried toward the boarding ramp. "Leia, hold up will ya!"

He caught hold of her arm, her glare reminding him of his place.

"It's been six months Han!" Leia reminded him.

"So another minute and a half won't hurt, will it?" Han asked.

"The code's checked out, didn't they?" She insisted. "Now let me do this."

"I just..." He exhaled and straightened his shoulders. "I just don't want you getting hurt."

"She's my best friend. My sister. She'd never do anything to hurt me." Leia assured him.

"I'm not talking about her hurting you on purpose. You watched your people die Leia. Your father. Your aunts. Your planet. Everyone." He said, determinedly.

"That's why I have to do this." She answered softly. "It'll always rest like a demon on my shoulders. I have to _know_ I can face this. If I can look my closest friend in the eye, then I can do the same to my fiercest critics."

Han considered her words. Let them sink in. Then he let go of her arm. "She comes to you."

"Naturally." The Princess agreed.

"And you be careful." He told her.

"You know how cautious I am." With a slight snap of her arm, the holdout blaster she carried dropped into her right hand. "But thank you for your concern Captain."

Han nodded slowly. "Makes two of us." He patted the blastech strapped to his side. "I'll be in the cockpit. Holler if you need me!"

For the briefest of moments, Leia thought he was going to kiss her cheek as he dipped his head, before realising it was the closest Han came to a formal bow.  
She listened to his feet clatter into the near distance, then the sound of a lighter footstep approaching and, though she knew she wouldn't need it, brought her blaster to a defensive position. 

Han busied himself checking that systems were running smoothly, confident that once this little 'meet' was over they could be on their way back to base and Han could collect on those parts his little lady so desperately needed. 

Which brought him to the fate of the recording device he had placed in Leia's jacket.  
His own confessions would have been recorded along with Leia's. What High Command thought of Han didn't concern him all that much. He'd known long before Leia confirmed it that their assessment of him wasn't all that high. Just as he was equally confident his file had been edited so the Princesses delicate eyes wouldn't require bleaching after reading it. 

His past was not a worry to him. But Leia's was. Whatever conversation she was having now with this Targeter character almost certainly revealed more than any she'd had with him. Women were like that. Sharing their thoughts and feelings on a completely different level with one of their own species. 

Light laughter filtered down the access tunnel and Han's puzzlement over what he should do started to clear. She'd change before they arrived at base and when she did, he would remove the disc. The likelihood of getting those parts he wanted without giving Rieekan something in return was slim at best.  
All he need do now was decide who meant more to him. The Falcon. Or Leia. 

A shadowy hooded figure caught his attention, crossing from the direction of the ship toward another vehicle near by. The feminine sway of the hips told him Targeter was leaving. 

He gave it another couple of heartbeats before he sauntered through to find Leia, her back to him, one hand still resting on the boarding ramp close valve. It took him a couple more heartbeats to recognise the almost imperceptible tremble of her shoulders. He'd seen her eyes mist with her memories, but never had he witnessed what was obviously a violent struggle against her emotions.

This was what High Command wanted of her. To let those feelings flow. And Han felt he was obligated to help them along.

"C'Mere." He said softly, moving to fold her in his embrace.

"Don't!" She commanded, but Han wasn't taking no for an answer this time.

Not this time and nor would he again. He simply held her tighter, one arm around her waist holding her body to his, the other pressing her upper body to him while his hand disappeared into her mane and tucked her head beneath his chin.

"Just let it go honey." He told her. "You'll feel better for it."

"How _dare_ you presume to tell me how I'll feel!" She stammered between sobs.

There was no argument from him. Han simply continued to hold and to rock her as little by little he felt her melt into him.  
There was something hard clutched in the hand she held between their bodies. The something that Targeter had brought for her. The something that had been her father's. The something that reminded him it was her birthday.  
Now wasn't the moment, but he made a mental note to wish her Glad Tidings before they returned to base.  
They stood like that until slowly Leia unfurled herself from his arms, her face flushed and streaked with tears. She took a small step away from him, her eyes lowered, embarrassed.

"I should be very grateful Captain, if you would keep this little scene between the two of us _just_ between the two of us." She said, calmly.

He tilted her chin up to his. "Afraid they'll realise you're only human?" He arched an eyebrow, a soft smile lighting his face.

"Of course not." She replied, her own face softening. "Afraid _you_ will."

Han laughed and graced her with a wink.  
He was going to ask about her gift, decided to leave it until she was more fully composed, opting to suggest they get under way back to base.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Their return flight was uneventful.  
The Falcon behaved herself, internal temperature controls having returned to normal and each jump being made perfectly on schedule.  
Han and Leia talked, though both avoided any conversation piece that might upset or antagonise the other.

To Han's surprise Leia decided not to freshen up on board ship, commenting that she would be returning to her quarters upon arrival and could do so there. It left Han in a quandary over the disc in her pocket, however, he reasoned he would find a way once they were back.

They were greeted by an overly excited Luke Skywalker when they'd cleared landing procedures. It was Leia who politely but firmly informed Luke that she was exhausted and needed some time to recharge before her next assignment.  
As she marched off toward the sleeping quarters, Luke looked up expectantly at Han.

"What did you two get up to?" He asked. "She's never been too exhausted to talk any other time."

"Just leave it okay, kid." Han told him.

"But..." Luke started.

"It's her birthday." Han advised. "She's missing her family, okay? You get how that feels, right?"

"Well, sure. But..." Luke was still puzzled.

"Just give her a little time Luke. Okay?" Han reiterated. "I gotta go see a man about some parts."

"What parts? The parts Wedge, Wes and I went for?" Luke asked eagerly.

"Luke..." Han had the overpowering urge to tell the kid to shut the Goddamn Hell up, but instead saying. "I got a report to file."

Han marched off in the same direction Leia had just taken.

Luke frowned. "Since when did you file a report?" He mumbled.

Han was careful to only approach Leia's quarters when the corridor was clear. He knew how fiercely she protected her privacy. Not to mention her reputation and a report of the braggart smuggler Han Solo being observed entering her private quarters would raise not just eyebrows but probably an enquiry at the highest possible level.

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes scanned the corridor both left and right before hustling him quickly inside and demanding to know what he thought he was doing calling on her.

"I wanted to know that you were all right?" He said impotently.

"So I can cry in your arms again?" She sneered.

"If that's what you want, yes." He replied.

"I'm fine. Thank you Captain." She straightened her shoulders. "Just tired, as I told Luke."

"You didn't tell me what your gift was." He said.

"None of your business." She answered between clenched teeth.

"I thought it might help you to talk." He hitched his trousers, thumbs hooked into the belt. That annoying grin on his face. "But I can see you're back to your old self."

"Fine! You want to know what it was?" She spat.

She yanked the fist-sized gold object from an inner jacket pocket, a diamond-shaped disc following and landing on the floor at her feet.  
Leia bent to pick it up, the colour draining from Han's face.  
She rotated the disc, eyelids blinking lazily.

"It's not what it looks like." Han offered, his hand outstretched to fend off her attack.

Leia looked up at him, the disc's meaning evident in her face.

"Okay, obviously it _is_ what it looks like. But in my defence, it wasn't my idea." He explained. "I was asked to plant that thing on you and in return I'd get parts for the Falcon. You know what she's like, she bleeds parts. It was an offer only an idiot would turn down."

He paused, closed his eyes and swallowed before returning to look at her.

"But I was _never_ going to turn it in." He assured her. "Not after we talked. Not after everything we talked about."

She stared up at him, her eyes searching his face.

"They're worried you're not coping." He took a step closer to her. She took a step away. "I have every intention of telling them that they're wrong. That you're coping just fine. It's just gonna take time, I mean you lost _everything_, of course it's gonna take time. But that you're getting there. They just need to have faith."

He waited for her to explode. When she didn't, he even suggested she might feel better for screaming at him.

"Will you still get your parts?" She asked.

"Probably not." He shrugged. "But I'd rather spot-weld half the ship together and be able to look myself in the mirror than fly a brand new one at the cost of a valued friendship."

"They'll be gathering for refs in about an hour." She told him. "You'll be in the Mess Hall getting yourself a cup of caf. You might want to make sure it's lukewarm, because when I come over I'm going to throw the cup in your face and tell you exactly what I think of you for recording our conversations. I may need to be quite brutal."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." He smiled and eyed the disc. "You want me to destroy that?"

"Thank you. But I can deal with it." She assured him.

Leia checked the corridor before she allowed Han to leave and placed the disc on the small unit beside her bed. She rotated her father's timepiece in her hands wondering what he would have made of the past forty-eight hours before wrapping it carefully and stowing it with what passed for her most precious possessions.

Then she fished inside her jacket and removed a second disc, placing it alongside the first. The disc she had been tasked with using to record Han's conversations. High Command may have had good intentions, but their execution left something to be desired.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

In her father's medical suite, Jaina's jaw dropped open.

"So all the time Dad was recording you, you were recording Dad too?" Jaina asked.

"Technically I suppose we were just recording ourselves." Leia replied. "But your Dad was right about one thing, _I_ was never going to hand the recording over either. There was too much personal stuff on it. Their concerns related to a possible leak, not just the proposed base on Hoth but supply lines and weapons among other things. It would have been wrong for them to hear the things Han and I discussed."

"Did you ever tell him?" Jaina queried.

"There are few secrets your father and I have had from each other." Leia said after considering her response. "But I'm no fool. There are things he's never told me and I'm certain he knows there are things I never told him. Maybe it's an occasional-selfish streak in us. But I think we both believe that for a happy marriage, there are some things of which the other really is best being blissfully unaware."

Leia again examined the gold band around Han's finger before lifting his hand to her lips and kissing it.

"I should get back to Jag before he thinks I've abandoned him." Jaina rose, swivelling the stool back beneath the bed. "What was it Winter brought you by the way?"

"From Father?" Leia looked up at Jaina. "It was his pocket watch. The one I gave to Jorj."

"And you kept it safe. All these years." Jaina commented.

"It had been my father's. And his father's. And his father's before that. It was an heirloom, or a worthless trinket, depending on your point of view. But for me, it was my link with the man who had been taken from me too soon and for no good reason at all." Leia said.

"I wish I'd had chance to meet him. I think I'd have liked him." Jaina noted.

"I know he would have loved you." Leia smiled. "Go on back to Jag. I'll stop by later. Maybe bring you a sweet treat?"

Jaina's wide grin confirmed her approval, then she kissed her father's cheek, hugged her mother warmly and quietly exited the suite.

"I thought she'd never go!" Han grumbled.

"I thought you were asleep!" Leia gaped. "Didn't the droids give you a pill?"

"You mean these?" He held up two white capsules clutched in his free hand.

"I ought to just smother your face with a pillow and suffocate you myself!" Leia growled deep in her throat and pressed the buzzer for the droids to return.

"There are laws against that, you know." He laughed.

A droid trundled into the suite and Leia waited, arms folded, whilst he administered the same drugs intravenously. After the droid had left she glared down at her husband.

"Now maybe you'll get some rest!" She said.

"You staying? I always slept better with you in my arms." His grin was really starting to annoy her now.

"I'm going to go buy pastries for our pregnant daughter." She snapped, already losing the fight with her anger. Leia leaned down, stroked Han's hair again and kissed his lips, tenderly. "But I'll be back. Don't you worry about that. You don't get rid of me that easily flyboy."

"Can I have that in writing?" He asked, his smile starting to fade. His words starting to slur.

Leia paused another moment, then left thinking the longer she stayed the more he would fight the rest his body so desperately needed.  
She wasn't aware of the figure waiting for the room to clear. Nor did she see it slip into the suite the moment she was gone.  
Han heard the door cycle open and closed and forced his lips to curl upwards.

"Just can't get enough of me can you sweetheart?" He sighed.

"I admit it's been awhile, but I wouldn't say I couldn't get enough of you." The man stated.

Han blinked blurry eyes up, recognition coming slowly.

"What do you want?" Han growled.

"Why to see you cousin, obviously. And to find out just what it is you think you are going to do with my son." Thracken Sal Solo rocked the side of the bed he leaned on, the motion sending a wave of pain along Han's right-hand side. "And when you've told me that. I'm going to tell you what it is you can do for me!"


End file.
